FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run an older Kubernetes version with minikube? Do I have to downgrade my minikube version?

You do not need to download an older minikube to run an older kubernetes version. You can create a Kubernetes cluster with any version you desire using --kubernetes-version flag.

Example:

  1. minikube start --kubernetes-version=v1.15.0

How can I create more than one cluster with minikube?

By default, minikube start creates a cluster named “minikube”. If you would like to create a different cluster or change its name, you can use the --profile (or -p) flag, which will create a cluster with the specified name. Please note that you can have multiple clusters on the same machine.

To see the list of your current clusters, run:

  1. minikube profile list

minikube profiles are meant to be isolated from one another, with their own settings and drivers. If you want to create a single cluster with multiple nodes, try the multi-node feature instead.

Can I use minikube as a Docker Desktop replacement?

minikube’s VM includes a Docker daemon running inside Linux for free, so you can use minikube docker-env to point your terminal’s Docker CLI to the Docker inside minikube.

  1. eval $(minikube -p <profile> docker-env)
  1. & minikube -p <profile> docker-env --shell powershell | Invoke-Expression
  1. @FOR /f "tokens=*" %i IN ('minikube -p <profile> docker-env --shell cmd') DO @%i
  1. minikube -p <profile> docker-env | source
  1. eval `minikube -p <profile> docker-env`

Note: this only works with the “docker” container runtime, not with e.g. “containerd”

You would need to start minikube with a VM driver, instead of docker, such as hyperkit on macOS and Hyper-V on Windows.

  1. minikube start --container-runtime=docker --vm=true

Alternatively, you can use minikube image build instead of minikube docker-env and docker build.

Can I start minikube without Kubernetes running?

Yes! If you want to use minikube only as a Docker Desktop replacement without starting Kubernetes itself, try:

  1. minikube start --container-runtime=docker --no-kubernetes

Alternatively, if you want to temporarily turn off Kubernetes, you can pause and later unpause Kubernetes

  1. minikube pause

minikube also has an addon that automatically pauses Kubernetes after a certain amount of inactivity:

  1. minikube addons enable auto-pause

Docker Driver: How can I set minikube’s cgroup manager?

By default minikube uses the cgroupfs cgroup manager for Kubernetes clusters. If you are on a system with a systemd cgroup manager, this could cause conflicts. To use the systemd cgroup manager, run:

  1. minikube start --force-systemd=true

How can I run minikube with the Docker driver if I have an existing cluster with a VM driver?

First please ensure your Docker service is running. Then you need to either:

(a) Delete the existing cluster and create a new one

  1. minikube delete
  2. minikube start --driver=docker

Alternatively, (b) Create a second cluster with a different profile name:

  1. minikube start -p p1 --driver=docker

Does minikube support IPv6?

minikube currently doesn’t support IPv6. However, it is on the roadmap. You can also refer to the open issue.

How can I prevent password prompts on Linux?

The easiest approach is to use the docker driver, as the backend service always runs as root.

none users may want to try CHANGE_MINIKUBE_NONE_USER=true, where kubectl and such will work without sudo. See environment variables for more details.

Alternatively, you can configure sudo to never prompt for commands issued by minikube.

How can I ignore system verification?

kubeadm, minikube’s bootstrapper, verifies a list of features on the host system before installing Kubernetes. In the case you get an error and still want to try minikube despite your system’s limitation, you can skip verification by starting minikube with this extra option:

  1. minikube start --extra-config kubeadm.ignore-preflight-errors=SystemVerification

What is the minimum resource allocation necessary for a Knative setup using minikube?

Please allocate sufficient resources for Knative setup using minikube, especially when running minikube cluster on your local machine. We recommend allocating at least 6 CPUs and 8G memory:

  1. minikube start --cpus 6 --memory 8000

Do I need to install kubectl locally?

No, minikube comes with a built-in kubectl installation. See minikube’s kubectl documentation.

How can I opt-in to beta release notifications?

Simply run the following command to be enrolled into beta notifications:

  1. minikube config set WantBetaUpdateNotification true

Can I get rid of the emoji in minikube’s output?

Yes! If you prefer not having emoji in your minikube output 😔 , just set the MINIKUBE_IN_STYLE environment variable to 0 or false:

  1. MINIKUBE_IN_STYLE=0 minikube start

How can I access a minikube cluster from a remote network?

minikube’s primary goal is to quickly set up local Kubernetes clusters, and therefore we strongly discourage using minikube in production or for listening to remote traffic. By design, minikube is meant to only listen on the local network.

However, it is possible to configure minikube to listen on a remote network. This will open your network to the outside world and is not recommended. If you are not fully aware of the security implications, please avoid using this.

For the docker and podman driver, use --listen-address flag:

  1. minikube start --listen-address=0.0.0.0

How can I allocate maximum resources to minikube?

Setting the memory and cpus flags on the start command to max will use maximum available resources:

  1. minikube start --memory=max --cpus=max

How can I run minikube on a different hard drive?

Set the MINIKUBE_HOME env to a path on the drive you want minikube to run, then run minikube start.

  1. # Unix
  2. export MINIKUBE_HOME=/otherdrive/.minikube
  4. # Windows
  5. $env:MINIKUBE_HOME = "D:\.minikube"
  7. minikube start

Last modified January 12, 2022: add example commands for docker-env FAQ (a64c35ad3)